Category: Wellness

Lettuce Meal Plan

By Heidi Weaver

It’s kind of a running joke here at the law school where I work that lunchtime can be feast or famine. Some days you’re lucky if you can grab a stale granola bar or some Pirate Booty from the snack tray in our department, while other days there’s leftover pizza, In-N-Out burgers, and yellow curry coming our way from all the midday programming events that are going on. Neither of these extremes is particularly healthy, but I’m always grateful for any form of sustenance I can get since I’ve never been great at making and packing a lunch for work. Such a thing for me connotes meal planning, and meal planning is an activity I’ve just never been drawn to. In my mind, meal planning means spending all Sunday at the supermarket and then being stuck in the kitchen laboring over cookbooks and a hot stove. A lofty goal, but never a practical one when I only have minutes to spare. Read More

Mindfulness & Curiosity

By Jim Eischen

“Seek mindfulness.” This persistent mantra echoes in the wellness community. Thought leaders in the business, healthcare, and yes, even legal communities, preach mindfulness as a necessary solution to nearly all present-day challenges. If mindfulness was a prescription drug, it would be proliferating our healthcare system as a zero-risk cure-all for every ailment.  Read More

“Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.”

By Amy J. Lepine

This single line from Desiderata expresses the basic reason I practice at wellness. The habits that we cultivate in our lives, whether consciously or not, are very powerful. Most often, we are not aware of the patterns of the mind. We’ve developed shortcuts for our perception that rob us of the true import of the moment. But in the same way, developing positive habits that bring us back to the present moment can erase those tendencies and bring us closer to reality, and wellbeing. Read More

Mindful Minute: Take the Scenic Route

By Heidi Weaver

“Scenic Route.” Do you ever see those signs on the side of the highway and think to yourself, “I wonder where that road goes? I wish I had time to take the off ramp and find out. How fun and exciting would that be?” Time being the ultimate luxury, I can count on very few fingers the times in my life when I have spontaneously changed course and taken the scenic route. Recently though I have discovered that it only takes a couple of minutes to incorporate “scenic routes” into my day and in so doing to add a lot of sensory enjoyment to my workaday life. Read More

Mindful Minute: A Meditation Practice Even Navy SEALs Use

By Amy J. Lepine

Do you ever feel disconnected or wish you could relate to people on a deeper level? Tonglen could be the answer. This ancient Tibetan practice in compassion breaks down the barriers of separation and allows us to share more readily in both the sorrow and the joy of others around us. And you don’t have to sit on a cushion or light any incense to do it. In fact, it can be done “on the street.” Literally translated to mean taking and sending, this practice focuses on breathing in the pain and suffering of others and breathing out relief, healing whatever is needed in the moment. Read More

Mindful Minute: The Balance of Gratitude

By Pauline Villanueva

 ’Tis the season to give thanks, count our blessings, and remember all the things we have to be grateful for. For some, this is a welcome reminder; for others, it is a challenge. Worse, it can make some of us feel resentful, as if we’re being pressured to feel “grateful” while simultaneously being forced to acknowledge our struggles. Read More